Expanding Prison Budget
Prisons are an interesting part of the pre-budget choreography in Ireland. There are never any test balloons floated by anonymous sources to gauge public opinion or opposition mood. Neither is any sympathy sought for the difficult decisions which have to be taken in relation to the prison budget. Maybe the assumption is that there is always money for prisons. While all the usual topics of income support and health were discussed at length before the actual speeches, prisons were entirely conspicuous by their absence.
After my colleague’s excellent quick analysis of housing changes in Budget 2027 last week, I thought that I better kick the tyres of the new criminal justice budget. See what new ‘progress’ awaits us, due diligence and all.
In 2027, the overall budget for Irish prisons will be €686m. Compared to the previous year, this is an eye-watering increase of €106m, or almost 20%. Few Government departments and statutory bodies will see such largesse from taxpayer money.
This budget line includes current spending of €591m, which is year to year and consists mainly of wages. It also includes €95m in capital spending for more prison cells, this is viewed by Government as one-off spending.
Two points of notes are necessary here. Firstly, in prisons, capital spending is not one-off spending as additional wings and prisons need to be staffed upon completion, and with an expected lifespan of 70 or 80 years, this is adding further demand for decades of current spending i.e. wages of strongly unionised prison staff. Secondly, with the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council issuing an extraordinary warning in the hours after Budget 2027—about the creation of unsustainable current spending commitments from international tax receipts—the Department of Justice, with plans to build a further 1,600 prison spaces by 2031, are doing some heavy lifting in adding to Ireland’s current spending trajectory in lieu of social investment.
A Decade of Growth
Looking at the increase of the prison budget in just 12 months alone – €106m – is shocking enough but, taking a step back over the past decade, we can see a fuller picture and it is no less damning of the current trajectory and paucity of alternatives.
Since 2017, the prison budget has increased by €359m, an increase of 110%. In short, it has more than doubled. With an overarching rhetoric of prisoner rehabilitation to justify continued investment and recognition of the prison system, this naturally leads to the question of what outcomes are Irish taxpayers seeing for these choices. Or is success in the eyes of the Department of Justice, simply the longer confinement of more offenders under the simplistic guise of deterrence; long accepted to have no effect on future crimes. Either way, the focus inevitably falls to “safe and humane custody”—the most basic stated aim of Irish prisons—but if this is not happening then it becomes difficult to justify a failing prison system continuing to receive year-on-year increases.
Takeaways
Show me your spending and I will tell you your priorities. Future budgets, while mind-numbingly tedious, are worth examining to understand future direction of travel in a policy area. Two quick takeaways on where Budget 2027 will take us.
Considering the doubling of the prison budget in a decade alongside a commitment to increase prison spaces by a third by 2031, it looks likes the Irish prison budget will exceed €1bn in current spending (not capital) by the early 2030s. Such an increase will be not be accompanied by additional oversight in the form of an Ombudsman to challenge failings in the prison service. This week, the Irish Ombudsman, Ger Deering, asserted that his office is “deliberately” not allowed to represent prisoners and prohibited to dealing with complaints into the public service.
Lastly, to expand the prison budget is have opportunity costs elsewhere. Care and welfare services which go unfunded or underfunded. Others have outlined the gaps and imbalance in budgetary allocation here. But, just to underline this simple point, prisons will have a budget of €686m next year while the core funding for 4,600 providers of early learning and childcare will be €650m. Worth considering Ireland as a modern Republic, in light of this Government choice alone.
These takeaways come with a note of caution. When future economic crashes occur, and one is currently overdue based on recent economic history, and FDI tax windfalls flatten or decline; we will be told that “tough” choices have to be made. Childcare and other developmental programmes will quickly be on the chopping block as the prison budget remains insulated. There will always be money for prisons.
Click here to read more about JCFJ’’s position on penal minimalism…
